Chapter 4
“Yoo hoo,” Tidus peeked into the bathroom, “Wakka.” Not finding the redhead, Tidus got his clothes and quickly dressed.
Going outside his room, he bumped into someone. “Watch it,” that someone shouted. Tidus jumped, preforming Yevon’s prayer.
“Excuse me,” he apologized.
“Just watch where you’re going next time,” the scantily clad women grumbled.
Tidus scratched his head, giving the women an annoyed look as she walked away. Geez what crawled up her behind? He almost let out a laugh when a muscled man ran after her, with a ‘wait for me’ look. Instead he just shook his head, smiling.
Walking outside, Tidus’s smile left him, when he surveyed all the damage around him.
Datto walked up to Tidus tapping him on the shoulder. Tidus jumped, and gave him a sheepish grin, “yeah?”
Datto smirked, “did I scare ya? Haha. Cap'n Wakka's waitin' for you!” Datto pointed behind him, where Wakka and his other teammates were rebuilding someone’s hut.
Tidus stuck his tongue at Datto, “you did that on purpose.”
Datto laughed, “maybe. Now go see Wakka.”
Rolling his eyes at Datto, Tidus jogged to where Wakka was.
Seeing Tidus, Wakka grinned, “Ah, there you are!” He turned and looked at his teammates, “Besaid Aurochs! Huddle! Onto the temple, where we pray for victory!”
Jumping down to Wakka and Tidus’s level, everyone got into a group huddle. “1...2...3 GO TEAM,” everyone yelled. Then everyone but Wakka and Tidus ran off.
Looking around, Wakka sort of got a faraway look on his face, “High Summoner Ohalland used to live in the Kilika temple here. Yep. Lord Ohalland was once a great blitzer, you know?”
Tidus nodded, he knew that. “Wakka,” he murmured?
Wakka snapped his attention back to Tidus, “hmm?”
Tidus looked down, “Praying for victory's all good . . . but is this right?”
Wakka scrunched his nose up, “Something wrong with enjoying blitzball?” He questioned.
Tidus waved his hands, “no, no I wasn’t saying that . . . it’s just is this really the time?”
Wakka smiled, patting Tidus on the shoulder, “This is the only time! The players fight with all their strength: the fans cheer for their favorite team. They forget pain, suffering . . . Only the game matters! That's why blitz has been around for so long. Least that's what I think.”
Tidus nodded still not feeling quite sure, “Whatever you say.” He muttered.
Wakka heard him, but understood the boy was still feeling great grief over everything, “Let's play . . . and win! Right?”
Tidus nodded, smiling, “Right!”
“That’s what I thought, temple's beyond the jungle there. Let's go!”
Catching up with the rest of the group, Wakka raised his eyebrow. Yuna and Lulu were huddled close together talking about something.
“What’s up,” he asked them?
Lulu turned away from Yuna and looked at Tidus, “Yuna want’s you to join us.”
Tidus was surprised. “What?”
Yuna smiled, “I want you to be one of my guardians.” Yuna eyed, Wakka giving him a smirk.
Wakka felt himself smiling, seeing her smirk, Yuna, you intuitive little brat. “Are you serious?”
“Yes!” Yuna nodded her head. “Don’t say yes yet. Tidus, think about it for a while, okay?”
Tidus nodded to his friend. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
The group moved on coming across many fiends. But none of the fiends were a match for them, and they were soon at a large stone staircase.
“Yikes,” Tidus moaned. “We have to climb these?”
Lulu laughed, “yup.”
Wakka smirked, “ah come on it ain’t that bad. And ya know these stone steps have a history.”
Tidus just groaned, making Wakka’s smirk grow, “Yep. Lord Ohalland trained here at his peak.”
Yuna and Lulu nodded. Tidus made an ‘oh’ face. Then let out a laugh when he saw a couple of the Aurochs stretching, warming up.
“A race huh? Think ya can beat me,” He grinned. Wakka rolled his eyes and went and stood next to Tidus and his other teammates.
“Yuna, if you would.” Wakka called out.
Yuna grinned, going to stand in front of them. “On the count of three. 1...2...” Giggling she ran ahead, calling behind her, “3.”
“Hey! Hey!” Wakka yelled, him and the others running after her. “No cheating.”
Lulu looked at Kimahri and rolled her eyes, “ha ha, kids,” she laughed.
The two started to walk up the stairs, when they were nearly bowled over by some of the Aurochs, “L...Look out,” Datto cried.
Lulu raised her eyebrow and started to run with Kimahri up the stairs.
“Everyone quick! Sinspawn!” Lulu and Kimahri ran faster when they heard Wakka’s shout.
“Eww,” Tidus said, looking at the strange armored Sinspawn Geneaux.
“Tidus, Kimahri, take the right arm,” Wakka yelled. “Lulu and I will take the left.”
Everyone nodded and got to it. Yuna stood back ready to jump in and heal.
In matter of minutes both teams defeated their arm, and everyone focused on the things armored head. “We’ve got to break through the armor,” Wakka yelled, throwing his blitzball at it.
Lulu gritted her teeth and sent a fury waterga at it. The spell seemed to do a little damage, but not enough.
Tidus bit his tongue and ran at the beast, slicing his hard shell. It cracked but didn’t break all the way.
Once Tidus was out of the way, Wakka let his ball take flight. It smacked the shell, widening the crack.
“Kimahri turn,” Taking a big leap, Kimahri rammed his spear into the crack. Everyone cheered when they heard an anguished cry. The thing in the shell hissed, as the shell split and fell open.
“Okay, Yuna!” Wakka moved so Yuna could take his place, “summon!”
Everyone flanked Yuna as she danced, calling Valefor, when she was done, she looked up, watching as Valefor charged up, letting loose a powerful energy blast.
Holding their breath, everyone watched as the spell hit the fiend head on. Making a squeaking noise of anger, the thing slumped, turning into many pyreflies.
“Shesh,” Tidus wiped his sweating brow.
A tired and sweaty group made their way to the temple, stopping when a few Luca Goers exited the temple.
Wakka sort of groaned, “You here to pray for victory, too?”
The players snorted, “Us? Pray? Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!”
Wakka rolled his eyes, “Oh, yeah? Then why are you here?”
“We've been praying for some competition this year!”
“So, what's you goal this time? You gonna "do your best" again? Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough! Why even bother showing up?”
Tidus was getting sick of them talking to Wakka like that, “This time we play to win,” he yelled, surprising Wakka.
“Oooh! Play away! Just remember even kids can play, boys.” The three players laughed, then walked off.
Wakka grunted, turning to their backs, “See you in the finals!”
“Don’t worry Wakka, we’ll beat them!” Tidus looked at Wakka, smiling.
“Got that right,” Wakka said, grinning back.
Going into the temple, everyone walked over to the statue of Lord Ohalland.
Kneeling in front of the statue, Wakka put his hands together, “ Lord Ohalland, guide our feet,” he whispered.
Tidus kneeled next to Wakka, saying his own little prayer, and when the boys stood up someone exited the cloister of trials.
“Ah, a summoner are you,” a female voice asked? Tidus looked up and rolled his eyes. It was that same rude women from the inn.
Yuna nodded, preforming Yevon’s prayer, “My name is Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid.”
The lady eyed the people around Yuna and smirked, half-heartily returning the prayer, “Dona. So, you're High Summoner Braska's daughter. That's quite a name to live up to. My, my, my . . . And all these people are your guardians? My, what a rabble! As I recall, Lord Braska had only two guardians. Quality over quantity, my dear. Whatever were you thinking? I have need of only one guardian. Right, Barthello?”
The muscled man beside Dona nodded. Tidus and Wakka looked at the lady and resisted the urge to smack her. They’d never really hit a women, but at that moment . . . well you understand.
Yuna just smiled, “I only have as many guardians as there are people I can trust. I trust them all with my life! To have so many guardians is a joy, and an honor! Even more so than being my father's daughter. Of course, I would never think of questioning your ways, either. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you: please leave us in peace.”
Dona snorted, “You do what you want. Barthello, we're leaving.” Barthello nodded his head, and he and Dona left the group from Besaid.
Going into the cloisters, everyone headed for the elevator, “The Fayth is below. Let's do it!” Wakka smiled at everyone.
Everyone nodded, walking onto the elevator. Not thinking, Tidus walked on too, only to be pushed off by Kimahri.
“Hey! What gives?”
Wakka smiled, “sorry Tidus.”
“You’re not a guardian yet.” Lulu added.
“Oh, right, sorry I wasn’t thinking.”
“That’s okay,” Yuna smiled, “we’ll be back as soon as we can, okay?”
The elevator went down, and Tidus leaned against the wall, “Oh, sure! Soon like "tomorrow" soon, I bet!” Tidus half joked, remembering Yuna’s first time in a temple.
Tidus hummed a song and watched as the empty elevator came back up. Hearing a noise behind him, he jumped around seeing Dona and Barthello.
“Where’s Yuna?”
Tidus gave Dona a confused look, pointing at the elevator.
“Then why are you here?”
“Hey, I’m not a guardian.” Tidus backed away from the duo, getting closer to the elevator. Yet.
Dona’s eyes gleamed, “Hmm. Not a guardian, you say?” She gave Barthello a look and the man seemed to read her mind, going to Tidus and picking him up.
Tidus looked at Dona his eyes wide, “Hey! Wait! Ah! Lemme go!”
Dona only chuckled, as Barthello threw Tidus on the platform.
“Hey! What's the big idea?” He stood up, giving Barthello a deathly glare. The man said nothing, as he prevented Tidus from leaving the platform.
“Just a little game,” Tidus heard Dona say, as the platform started to lower.
This is bad! Really bad. Stupid Dona. Man what should I do? Only guardians allowed, and I'm sure no guardian. Well, I guess it's too late now.
The next thirty minutes was spent solving the puzzle of the cloister of trials. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the room where the guardians waited for their summoner.
Wakka saw Tidus first. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” he exclaimed, making Lulu turn around.
Tidus sighed, “it was Dona and that muscle head man.”
“You better just hope, Yuna doesn’t get punished,” Lulu muttered, thoughts on giving Dona a smack over the head with Yuna’s staff.
Tidus frowned, looking down. Wakka sighed, and walked over to him, patting him on the shoulder. “Look don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’ll be okay.”
Tidus nodded, looking up at Wakka. Wakka smiled, blushing when Tidus hugged him.
“Thanks Wakka,” Tidus said, going and standing next to Lulu.
“Um . . . sure.” Wakka shook his head, and went to wait.
Yuna came out and before she could fall, Kimahri was at her side. Everyone gave her a worried look and she smiled. “Ifrit,” she whispered, before passing out.
“Hey look there’s S.S. Winno,” Yuna shouted, now fully rested from her temple trek. She pointed to the big boat approaching Kilika’s dock.
“Woo ha,” Wakka and Yuna ran ahead of everyone, “off to Luca, finally.”
Lulu and Tidus looked at each other raising their eyebrows, “children,” Lulu teased.
“Yeah,” Tidus agreed, laughing.
“Ahh,” Tidus suddenly screamed, when their fellow Ronso, picked him up. “What’s with you?”
Kimahri grinned, “Kimahri excited!” He started to run, “ Ronso Fangs play!”
Lulu started to laugh, as she speed up, so as not to get left behind.
Yuna and Wakka bent over laughing when they saw the sight approaching them. Tidus riding over Kimahri’s shoulder, with an annoyed look on his face. Lulu running behind them, tears from laughing, falling down her cheeks.
Getting to the dock, Kimahri set Tidus down. “I do know how to walk,” he muttered.
“Kimahri knows. Tidus Slow.”
Tidus glared, as his so-called friends started to laugh. “Hmph, whatever.”
“Mad at Kimahri?” Kimahri looked at Tidus, his voice sounding confused.
Tidus sighed, “of course not, you big kitty.”
“Kitty?” Kimahri scratched his head, thinking, “oh! Cat. Baby cat. Kimahri is small Ronso.”
Tidus laughed at the look on Kimahri’s face, “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I think it was a term of endearment, Kimahri,” Yuna said, giggling.
“Oh! Tidus love Kimahri?” The cat smiled.
“Of course he does, we all do,” Yuna said, hugging him around his middle.
Kimahri beamed, well at least it looked like he was beaming.
“Come on,” Wakka shouted. “LUCA!”
“Oh right, let’s go everyone,” Yuna smiled, and preformed Yevon’s prayer to everyone seeing them off.
When the S.S. Winno docked at Luca, the group from Besaid, ran down to the platform leading to the dock, feeling exited about the upcoming game. The group of Kilika Beast were in front of them and got off first.
Everyone looked around as the loud speaker crackled alive.
“Ah, over there! The ships carrying the players are arriving now! This would be dock number 2. All the way from Kilika, it's the Kilika Beasts! High Summoner Ohalland used to play for them-a big name to live up to. Their hometown was recently attacked by Sin. Isn't that right, Jimma?”
“Yes, Bobba. They're going to be pulling out all the stops to try and bring back the cup this year.”
“Exciting, isn't it, folks? Our next team off the ramp is . . . Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs! They're a living, breathing, statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die-hard fans are in the audience today.”
The Aurochs and the fans all booed. Tidus bristled.
“Best of luck to them, and a safe journey back to Besaid.” Jimma said.
“Right, Jimma. Moving right along, our next team is . . . Here they are, folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power! They've got speed! They've got teamwork! They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!”
Wakka rolled his eyes, looking at the Goers. Tidus was getting more bristled.
“Without a doubt, they are the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today.”
“You can say that again, Jimma. Look at the crowd, folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on! They know, I know, and you know, folks! The Luca Goers are number one!”
The overhead speaker crackled then, died down.
Wakka looked at the bristled Tidus and weakly smiled, “It's like this every year, ya? Don't' let it bother you.”
Tidus nodded, grinning and swiping a Megaphone, then he climbed onto a crate.
“Stop right there, Goers! You guys are smilin' now, but not for long! 'Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!”
Everyone turned to Tidus, giving him a weird look. The Goers snickered, and walked away. Climbing down, Tidus set the megaphone down. Turning to Wakka he giggled.
Wakka smiled, shaking his head, “What in Yevon's name were you doing up there?”
“We sure stood out though,” Datto exclaimed!
“We were on the sphere and everything.” Letty added.
“We were,” another Auroch asked?
“Maester Mika’s here!” Someone shouted.
“Already,” a women yelled?
“The number 3 dock!” A man yelled.
People started to run, looking excited, to the number three dock.
“Let’s all go see him,” Yuna exclaimed, excited about seeing the leader of all Spira. The tournament was being held to celebrate his fifty years as Maester.
When they get to dock 3, Tidus looked around, “I can’t see anything,” he muttered.
“Shh,” Wakka warned, as a strange looking man came out of the boat.
“That’s a Guado, right,” someone whispered?
“Who could it be,” someone else whispered?
“Isn't that Maester Seymour?” When somebody asked that everyone started to preform Yevon’s Prayer. Seymour looked behind him, as another man walked off the boat, and bowed in front of him.
The little old man, who turned out to be Mika, walked forward, “People of Spira, I thank you for your generous welcome,” he looked at Seymour, “Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you . . . the son of Maester Jyscal Guado, who departed for the Farplane a fortnight past. As some of you already know, he has been officially ordained a Maester of Yevon.”
Seymour slowly rose, looking out at everyone, his eyes settling on Yuna. Yuna squirmed in discomfort, but didn’t avert her gaze.
“I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to receive the title of maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to foster friendship between man and Guado. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as Maester to the best of my abilities.”
Tidus rolled his eyes, not liking the look of this man.
Yuna ran into the Aurochs locker room, not taking in account that they may be undressed.
Tidus looked up surprised. “What’s the matter?”
Breathing hard she smiled, “there you are! Someone said they saw Sir Auron in a café!”
Tidus jumped up, surprised, everyone had assumed the other guardian to Sir Braska had been killed fighting Sin, “really? Au . . . Auron?”
Yuna nodded, excitement showing on her face, “Yes, Sir Auron! Let's go find him!”
Wakka jumped up, “Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! The game starts like real soon! C-Come back quick, ya?”
Tidus grinned, “Hey, I'll be back.”
Wakka sighed, blushing when Tidus leaned over squeezing his shoulder, “Yeah, okay.” oh, he’s so cute! If he keeps touching and hugging me like this . . . I’m gonna . . .
Tidus laughed, “Hey, Wakka. You're stiff, man.”
Wakka’s face went white. He was what?...oh right. He reached up and touched his face.
Tidus giggled, “No, no, not your face. Just breathe out, relax. Like this. Just breathe, yeah!”
Wakka’s face turned back to it’s normal color, as he did what Tidus said. Yuna shook her head, giggling. Reaching out, she grabbed Tidus, pulling him out of the locker room.
As they were walking out of the blitzball locker room area, they passed two Al Behd Psyches.
The female looked at Yuna, raising her eyebrow, “E meto summoner!” She said to her companion. The man nodded. A lady summoner!
“Fa sicd nabund.” We must report.
On their way to the café, Kimahri joined them. “This is the café,” Yuna told them, pointing to the little café in front of them.
“We’ll what are we waiting for, let’s go in,” Tidus exclaimed, almost as excited as Yuna to see the man that knew his father.
Walking in the café, Tidus sighed, looking around, “he’s not here.”
Everyone in the café gasped, as two larger Ronso approached Kimahri. Tidus raised his eyebrow. Hmm, what’s going on?
“Why not talk, Kimahri? Not see Yenke for ten years! Say something! Kimahri forget Yenke? Forget Biran?”
Kimahri said nothing, as he tried to make himself look taller.
“Leave Kimahri, Yenke. Kimahri is small Ronso. Kimahri so small can't see Yenke and Biran's faces.”
Yenke didn’t listen to Biran, “Kimahri forget Ronso friends? We taught you much at time of horn-molt! Biran taught Kimahri to be strong Ronso.”
“Maybe taught too much,” Biran added.
Tidus gave the other Ronso an angered look, “take em on,” he whispered to Kimahri.
Kimahri didn’t need the encouragement, and gave an uppercut to Yenke knocking him down.
The man at the counter gave the fighting Ronso a murdering look, “take it outside! The tournament's starting, you hear?”
Looking at the screen behind the counter, Tidus paled, “the game,” he shouted.
The Ronso stopped fighting as Mika started to speak, “Today, on this glorious day, players from all over Spira have assembled here . . . to participate in this great contest of bravery, skill, and strength. All of these fine teams, equally renowned, deserve to win the cup today. Such is the nature of this contest. Let us, the spectators, play our role accordingly. Let us sing to the glory of the winners, and applaud equally the valor of the defeated. Contestants, may Yevon be with you.”
Tidus looked around when the man stopped talking, his eyes going wide, “Kimahri, Yuna’s gone!”
A/N
In this AU fic, Tidus is not a dream! He’s always lived in Spira. He doesn’t know Auron personally, but knows of him. His father was not a blitzer, but his step dad was. Jecht was a guardian to Braska but Tidus didn’t hate him, even though he was a drunk. Everything else is the same, but some things have to be taken out obviously, and some things added.
Oh right and Wakka doesn’t hate the Al Behd, because if you remember from the last chapter in TRI, the letter Chappu left him, asking him not to blame the Al Behd.
R&R Please!